Here's The Sad Reality That May Have Led To Meghan & Harry Stepping Down As Royals

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made a bold move in January 2020 when they announced their decision to step back as senior royals. Their life has drastically changed since making that decision, with the couple even relocating to California. While the pair was pretty open and honest about their decision, the new royal biography Finding Freedom explores what may have played into why Meghan and Harry quit being royals.

Meghan and Harry shared their life-changing news in a lengthy IG post on Jan. 8. "After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution," the pair wrote. "We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen."

Meghan and Harry vowed to continue "to honor [their] duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages" while splitting their "time between the United Kingdom and North America."

Their decision was met with harsh criticism from some, and praise from others. In Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand's new book, the authors dive into the details of Meghan and Harry's choice to shake things up.

Among the many revelations Finding Freedom offered, the authors think the couple's ultimate decision to step down as senior royals may have come down to the racism Meghan experienced. Elite Daily reached out to the Palace for comment, but did not hear back by the time of publication.

Apart from prejudiced takes on Meghan reported by the media, Scobie and Durand claim she also went through a questionable situation at her first Buckingham Palace Christmas lunch in 2017.

Shortly after Meghan and Harry announced their engagement that November, she attended the annual event to meet Harry's family, including the Queen’s cousin-in-law, Princess Michael of Kent, who received criticism for wearing a racist blackamoor brooch. At the time, a spokesman for the princess said she was "very sorry and distressed" her choice of accessory "caused offence."

Meghan didn't say anything at the time, but Scobie and Durand claim in Finding Freedom that she was definitely hurt by it.

"When it comes to royal fashion, much thought goes into every detail," they wrote about the Princess' choice of brooch. "Princess Michael's choice of brooch could have simply been a mistake, but in the back of Meghan's mind, she wondered if there wasn't a message being sent in the pin of the torso of an African man wearing a gold turban and ornate clothing."

In an Aug. 10 interview with Good Morning America, Scobie revealed he thought race played a role in the couple's decision to quit being royals. "In terms of ticking those boxes that may ruffle feathers within an ancient institution such as that of the monarchy, she had really ticked all of them," Scobie said.

In the wake of Finding Freedom's release, the royal couple has made it clear they didn't contribute to the book in any form. "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not interviewed and did not contribute to Finding Freedom. This book is based on the authors’ own experiences as members of the royal press corps and their own independent reporting," the couple's representative confirmed in a statement. Scobie confirmed this in his GMA interview.

Regardless of why they left, the new insight provided by Finding Freedom has left fans questioning everything they once knew about the royal family.